Verizon launches 'faster than wired' broadband for the home

Verizon Wireless is making good on that name, aiming to rid your home of those ugly, ugly wires. The carrier wants to substitute them with the not-exactly-subtle, bucket-sized antenna you can see on the left. Its HomeFusion service aims to replace DSL-connected domiciles, with Verizon reckoning its own wireless broadband can offer up better upload and download speeds. According to the Washington Post, the hardware will set potential customers back around $200, but installation costs will be included in the service. The entry-level $60 per month package will net you just 10GB of data, with HomeFusion currently readied for launch in Dallas and Birmingham later this month. Users will be able to connect up to 50 different devices and Verizon intends to roll out the wireless internet package as far as its LTE network tendrils can reach. Plans go up to the dizzying heights of 30GB for $120 per month, with additional gigabytes charged at $10 a pop. For anyone in broadband-unfriendly homes looking for a step up in internet speed, you may want to start looking for somewhere to hide hang that antenna...

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today introduced HomeFusion Broadband: a new service that provides high-speed in-home Internet access using the power and speed of the nation's largest 4G LTE network. The solution will offer households in areas with limited broadband options a reliable alternative for data connectivity in their homes. "HomeFusion Broadband is just one of the new products and services that is made possible with our 4G LTE network," said Tami Erwin, vice president and chief marketing officer, Verizon Wireless. "Customers want to connect more and more devices in their homes to the Internet, and HomeFusion Broadband gives them a simple, fast and effective way to bring the most advanced wireless connection from Verizon into their homes." The 4G LTE network is efficiently delivered to an antenna which transmits the signal to a broadband router inside the home. The cylinder-shaped antenna is professionally installed at the customer's home, and the product's innovative design includes multiple internal antennae allowing the device to pick up Verizon's 4G LTE signal. The broadband router can connect up to four wired and at least 20 wireless devices inside the home using Wi-Fi, including everything from computers to gaming consoles. HomeFusion Broadband will be available beginning later this month in Birmingham, Ala., Dallas and Nashville, Tenn., with additional markets to follow. Verizon Wireless is working with Asurion, a trusted leader in consumer technology protection services, for installation. Customers can choose several usage-based plans, beginning at $59.99 monthly access for 10 GB of data, specifically designed for HomeFusion Broadband. A one-time equipment fee of $199.99 applies, and installation is free. Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network now covers more than 200 million people in the United States. In real-world, fully loaded network environments, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE customers, including HomeFusion Broadband customers, should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.